Last Day In Beaune

​Judy and Graeme sat in their tiny apartment wondering what the de il they were going to DO on their last full day in Beaune. There were SO MANY options from which to choose. They sat together and pondered. Suddenly Judy jumped up excitedly. ‘I know’, she said, her index finger pointing upwards in a gesture of sudden foresight, ‘let’s ride our bikes all the way to Dijon’.  ‘What a splendid idea’, said Graeme, his eyes scrunched in fervid agreement and anticipation. 

And do it came to pass that Judy and Graeme mounted their bikes and headed out along the road to the north. Judy had made lovely rolls for lunch and the plan was to get to Nuits Saint George for a fresh coffee each. 

Now the bike route out of the town is not so easy to find. J and G knew of a voire verte, but how the devil to find it!  In the end they hoped onto a D road and cycled along till they, inevitably, came upon a sign. ‘Whew’, they chorused to each other. ‘At least we have made it THIS far’. 

The voire verte has had some massive work done on it over the intervening years since Judy and Graeme had been on the Côte d’Or and it made the ride very enjoyable indeed. Hot mix had been applied liberally to the tiny pathways built originally for the winery chaps to go about their wine growing pursuits. The route was well signed and the weather was ideal for cycling. 

[This voire verte was not the only place that macadam had been applied. All throughout the Burgundy region heaps of it had been poured onto roads, pathways and ramparts, making huge improvements everywhere. Seems that there must have been a sale on at the hot mix shop. What a massive job!]

Along the way J&G saw lots of wonderful and beautiful sights. Row upon row of gorgeous vines, château after château glistening in the sunlight, the côté on the left and the plains sweeping out towards Germany on the right. 

Arriving in Dijon could have proved tricky, but, along with the bike signs, some very helpful person (or persons) had squirted pink arrow signs on the road that took our intrepids right to the canal that they knew so well. Their mission was more than accomplished. 

All of a sudden, Judy turned to Graeme and asked, ‘Would it be at all POSSIBLE for me to go into the town of Dijon and do a tiny bit of shopping’?  It became at once clear to Graeme that this, in Judy’s mind had been the plan all along. A shopping opportunity in the guise of a bike ride. But how could Graeme be anything other than pleased with the day’s events. ‘Sure thing’, he said. I’ll sit in the park while you go and buy the one or two little items you need, Dear Jude. Take your time.  I’ll do my French and clock up my 905 consecutive days on Duolingo.’

Back to Beaune by train, drop off the bikes to Olivier at the rental place and home to freshen up for dinner at the new restaurant just down the road. Judy and Graeme packed their bags for an early departure next morning and collapsed into bed. Tired, but happy!

What a day!

Toodles!